10 Dangerous and Destructive Commonly Held False Beliefs
10 Dangerous and Destructive Commonly Held False Beliefs
At some point in life, you're bound to discover that a belief you once held as absolute was wrong. This turns your entire world around. It's like soul vertigo. You need to rewrite your perception. You realize that holding that belief and believing it to be absolute was a very dangerous thing. Then you become inspired to help others see their own false beliefs, as you wish you'd realized these things sooner... So, here are 10 popularly held false beliefs that people hold that have been destructive and dangerous to themselves and society.
1)Popularity correlates to/ is directly proportionate to correctness.
Often when we are young, we follow the crowd. We want to fit in. Being different is seen as undesirable, and garners bullying. Our "friends" pressure us to do things we don't want to do and in some cases convince us to make bad choices and do bad things to "look cool". This is completely insane, learned behavior passed down over generations. I believe it may even spawn from the ingrained human fear of the unknown. The only cure for that is knowledge. If we're paying attention, as we get older, we come to realize that those who dare to be different are the only people who really make a difference. Think of Da Vinci, Magellan, Copernicus, Tesla, Einstein... They each followed their curiosities, instead of the crowd, and consequently were responsible for many developments and discoveries in history. In fact, each one of us should be exploring our unique curiosities. Imagine the plethora of new discoveries we would have daily! The most despicable and horrifying atrocities we have committed as a species have been done by people following the crowd. The Holocaust, the slaughter of Native Americans, enslavement, the Inquisition, wars, and in recent years especially, environmental destruction, are, to some extent, results of this false belief. Which leads me to the next point...
2)If I learned it here/if this person said it (__insert place/person/book__) it must be correct.
Everything we have learned from school, our parents, books, our friends, etc..., should always be subject to cross examination. Why would anyone take anything as unquestionable fact, when it's becoming increasingly obvious that many things are not actually the way we have been taught, or the way we perceive them? The reason is obvious: the people who taught us these things were coming from a much less informed perception themselves. If we look back in time we see it. People once believed the world was flat and later that the sun revolved around the earth. Now, consider the idea of manifest destiny, and that history was written by the victor and it becomes obvious that we have been taught a flawed version of history. Not to say we didn't learn anything from what we were taught, but it has been filtered and in some cases cut to fit the intentions of the ruling class at the time. Consider our parents. Now, yes, they love us very much, and taught us the best way they knew, but their understanding of the world was even more limited than our own. Their world was not as connected. They were taught to respect their elders at all costs and that their elders were always right. Now that is not the case. Yes, respect your elders as fellow human beings who raised you and love you, but you should never have to yield to an uneducated opinion, and they should rid themselves of the belief that a younger person is inferior and can't teach them anything. It's all ego, but that's another discussion. Think of what the news has become... It's owned by a few supercorporations, who value money over all, so it's bound to have biases and propaganda. It no longer practices real journalism, but instead has become a mouthpiece of the elite and our government. There are literally infinite reasons everything should be taken with a grain of salt.
3)If it's not broke, don't fix it.
This false belief can be especially harmful. Just because the way you do things works and gets the job done, does not mean it is the best way of doing it. We need to be always striving for increasing efficiency and improving our ways and lives. That is the essence of being human; being able to adapt to our environment. There are so many things we do and ways we do things that are inefficient and destructive to the environment and others. A big part of this is our endless pursuit of money and hoarding, but that's another discussion. Our limited perceptions sometimes blind us to better ways of doing things, as we haven't yet discovered it, it doesn't make money, or we just haven't learned enough about the entire situation or thought of something that could enhance it, and its effects and the roots of it. Next time you find yourself doing something routine, at work, or buying a consumer product, ask yourself, how could we make this better? What are the results of this system? How can we eliminate the negative results, and enhance the positive ones?
4)I'm better than you/nationalism/racism/classism/etc...
This is all ego. It comes from the need to be or feel superior, which is usually a symptom of having felt inferior at some point in your life. These things are pointless, and detrimental to our personal development, which is an essential part of realizing our potentials. Think of it this way; we are all ignorant in some areas and intelligent in others. A genius is in some way also an ignoramus, and vice-versa. Knowing this, we are much more capable of seeing each other as different, yet equally important in potential. No one race/nation/sex/sexual orientation is better than the other. We have our strengths, and our weaknesses. This us vs. them mentality is not only divisive and counterintuitive to society, but it can become and has often reached dangerous levels of power and inspired devastating conflicts and wars.
5)Your character is set in stone.
Some people view your personality as set in stone. To change any aspect of that is seen as an insult to your self and erases your existence. This could not be more flawed. Your personality is a result of your environment and the way you have reacted to it, and should be seen as a fluid thing, to be worked on diligently. You have more control over yourself and who you want to be than anything else in the world. To develop yourself and examine the root causes of your negative behaviors, and address them, which often merge with behaviors of others towards you and environmental factors, is the only way to become your authentic self, which is the only way to achieve your full potential. Understanding that the people who hurt are hurt themselves and reacting the way they have learned is key to finding peace with the tragedies of your past. It's obvious most of us aren't being raised in ideal conditions where we can grow into healthy individuals, and that's the root cause of most harmful behavior, but that's another discussion.
6)Never discuss religion or politics.
This should be a must for us all. We should discuss everything; ideas, history, interests, inventions, problems, concepts, and theories. That's the best way to learn and get different perspectives, which is the fastest route to the truth. Unfortunately in order to have a meaningful discussion on these topics and many others that can become divisive, we first must check our egos at the door and consider that any belief we may hold could possibly be wrong, and be willing to change our minds when presented with new information. Even an idea considered to be correct could have some sort of flaw, and to examine it and look for flaws should be welcomed with open arms. The need to be right is absurd. Everyone is wrong at times, and that's okay. Learning and correcting our mistakes is the best thing we can do as humans, and someone that helps us do that should be honored, as they are doing an amazing thing for us. Insults are normally used by people with no legit arguments, who are feeling an injury to their ego, and need to try to harm the other person. We need to be able to accept being wrong sometimes as part of being human and see it as natural and as shameless as the wind. On the other hand, if you encounter someone such as this, it is best to calmly point out their errors and let them know being wrong sometimes is part of being human and they are no less awesome for having held a wrong opinion at one time. If they still can't have a discussion, it's best to walk away and remember that you planted the seeds in their minds to help them defeat the behavior, it is up to them to water them and grow them. Sadly, some people are so stuck in their ways they can't be changed.
7)You can't change the world.
You may be a speck in the vast universe, but even a speck can change the world. When you think about time from as broad of a perspective as you can imagine, an infinite one, you realize one action or one decision you make will have many different effects on the world around you, and those effects have many effects, etc, etc... Upon coming to that realization, you realize that everything you do, or don't do, has infinite effects throughout time and space. Planting that seed in the closed minded person's mind could one day lead to them opening their mind to examining their false beliefs, which would lead to them opening others' minds and so on... So yes, you have the power to change the world, but only if you have the courage and confidence to use your voice, speak up, take action, do things that will help the future, and pass it on... That's your biggest power outside of yourself.
8)We need to compete for resources.
Contrary to popular belief, we have the technology to provide for every single being on this planet right now. The only thing holding us back is greed, spurred by capitalism and the idea that to control others is the best way to thrive. That idea is complete garbage. The best way to thrive is to develop a thriving environment for all, making it a point to ensure everyone else thrives as well. This will take away the problems caused by inequality and lack, which are most of the problems in the world. It would also eventually ensure that we are all healthy, happy, whole, healed human beings, capable of unconditional love for all, and therefore bring about healthy relationships. There won't be anymore jealous lovers, catty "friends", vicious rumors... It's all unnecessary, so harmful to the world, and a symptom of a sick society. This paves the pathway to paradise, and the road to the universe.
9)Conspiracy theorists are crazy.
"Conspiracy theorist" was a label given by the government to those who questioned their narrative after the JFK assassination, to gaslight those who had the audacity to cross examine them. Looking at it from that point of view, you should realize that the people who don't bother to question narratives are the real crazy people. Well, actually ignorant, because they can always learn. There is no stupid, no crazy... There is only ignorance, and it can only be cured by knowledge.
10)Economy is essential to survival.
The economy is a fabrication of the elite to maintain control over the population. The economy enslaves us. We are the only creature on the planet that has to devote our lives to working for others just to earn enough to survive. This is ludicrous, vastly limits humanity, harms relationships, hinders self development, immensely dampers happiness, destroys the environment and sentences many to starvation and lack for the comfort of a few. What is the best way for a species to thrive? The answer is to have an ideal environment. Why don't we have an ideal environment? Due to the greed and ignorance of the ruling class. Money would not be necessary if the earth and its resources were declared the shared property and responsibility of all humans. We would make sure every person on earth has clean food, water, power, internet, the latest technology, open source knowledge, and a clean environment. We wouldn't make things to break, because it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. We wouldn't transport things like food across the world, because we'd be growing our own in every household. We wouldn't have so much suffering, crime, and inequality because we would all have equal privileges. We wouldn't hurt others, because we would realize the cycle of harm it causes, which eventually harms the one responsible. We would work together to develop the best in everything. There would be no corruption. No one would hold power over another. We wouldn't need government. We would have a cooperative space program, an earth wide defensive only military, and a world full of happy, healthy beings. We would all have genuine connections with others, ridding ourselves of the fears and anxieties we have developed as a response to our sick world. We can heal it, starting now, by spreading ideas, living consciously, and striving for this intelligent way of living.
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Infinite Love to All -Serendellion
